From helping students evacuate a school bus moments before the front of it burst into flames, to catching a prolific bank robber, to intervening in violent attacks, the actions of dozens of Calgarians, including 29 citizens and 36 police officers, were recognized Thursday evening at the Chief’s Awards Gala.

Calgary police Chief Roger Chaffin presented honours in categories including valour, life saving, community service and a new addition to the awards this year, excellence in mental health intervention.

Chaffin said the event is a chance to celebrate the best of Calgarians and the police service.

“This is why people police,” he said before the event. “They want to make a difference. They want to be there in that moment when someone needs support.”

Steven FroehlerCourtesy Calgary police

One of the citizens Chaffin presented an award to Thursday was Steven Froehler, who was recognized for rescuing a woman from a burning vehicle.

Froehler was travelling east on Memorial Drive last September when he saw a vehicle collide with a gas pump and the fuel station go up in flames. When he realized there was a woman trapped inside the car, he rushed to assist, helping to break the back window with a sledgehammer that another man ran over with, then pulling the woman to safety. After seeing a car seat in the back of the vehicle, he climbed in to make sure there were no other passengers.

“I don’t know how you couldn’t put your best foot forward and try,” he said. “There’s just no question, you need to act.”

It was a similar sense of urgency that compelled Ben Youe and Joe D’Angelo into action when they witnessed an attempted kidnapping on 12 Ave. S.W. last year.

Youe was in his vehicle when he heard a disturbance in the car next to him and got out to see a man running away from a woman and her child.

Police say the girl had just got into the back seat when a man opened the door, violently grabbed her arm and started to pull her out of the vehicle. The mother grabbed her daughter’s arm and yelled for help.

D’Angelo was across the street when he heard a commotion. After seeing a man running away, he chased after him, while Youe stayed with the woman and child and called 911. A few minutes later, the suspect returned to the scene, and Youe and D’Angelo stood in front of the distraught mother and daughter and watched him until police arrived.

“You don’t really think twice,” said D’Angelo. “I felt like I just kind of did what we were supposed to do. Just glad to be there.”

Joe D’Angelo.

Others recognized Thursday evening include Jason Anuik, a registered nurse presented a life-saving award for helping to rescue a 15-year-old patient who jumped into the Bow River.

Six police officers were also presented with life-saving awards, including Const. Kathy Bowman and two others for a May 2017 incident when they helped a driver and 46 students evacuate a school bus, which burst into flames moments later.

In connection with another incident, Const. Ryan Schroeder and two other officers were recognized for rescuing a boy and his mother after their dinghy became trapped on a log jam.

In the new category of excellence in mental health intervention, recipients included Const. Peter Jadczyk, who encountered a man seated on the railing of an overpass while on patrol. After 40 minutes of speaking to him, the man eventually held his hand out and Jadczyk pulled him to safety.

Gabrielle Gonzalez was honoured for valour and Ashely Wanamaker for life saving for an incident in September 2017 when they intervened to help a U.S. war veteran found in crisis outside a store. Wanamaker called police for help while Gonzalez tried to calm the woman.

Patrick Morrissey and David Jacewicz were among four people presented with awards for valour in connection with a September 2017 incident when they intervened after witnessing an attack in a grocery store.

Ben Youe

Steve Pool, Christian Alfonso Prado and Edgar Jose Boscan were recognized for valour in their efforts to save a woman from a vehicle that burst into flames after it went over a barrier on Glenmore Trail.

Const. Dan Allen was also presented an award of valour for intervening when he was driving off-duty and witnessed a man force his way into a home. Allen managed to get the suspect off the homeowner and his son and led him out of the house.

Rodney Page received the award of exceptional recognition for his willingness to put himself in harm’s way and help police arrest a sexual assault suspect after a woman was attacked in Riley Park.

Shawn Shier also received exceptional recognition for chasing a bank robbery suspect, subduing him and bringing him back to the bank to wait for police. Police say the accused was a serial bank robber who would not have been stopped if not for Shier’s efforts.

Tom and Debra Mauro received an award for community service in recognition of their efforts, including helping to make the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre a reality and helping to establish a child advocacy centre in Kelowna, set to open in 2019.

Also recognized in the community service category was Const. Rayn Boyko, who has helped 500 children of newcomers learn to skate and play hockey through the CPS Power Play program. For the past eight years, Boyko has gathered donated equipment, coordinated more than 70 volunteer CPS officers to coach and assist, and secured a donated bus.

Const. Mike Calhoun was honoured for recognizing the high frequency of gas drive-offs in 2010 and submitting recommendations to the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police. Over the next three years, he worked to encourage fuel retailers to adopt a pre-pay model to increase safety for employees. After Maryam Rashidi was killed while working at a Centex gas station during a gas drive-off, Calhoun went back to the provincial government. Legislation making it mandatory for all fuel stations in Alberta to adopt the pre-pay model was enacted on June 1.

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